Embodiments of the invention involve decreasing boot time by utilizing virtualization or partitioning techniques. In an embodiment, a hypervisor/platform partition controls the platform access to the boot target medium. The boot target medium may be a local medium or a remote medium on a server. When the boot medium is a local medium, the boot target data is selectively stored in a fast memory. When the boot target medium is a remote medium, the boot target data is stored in a local medium. When the system reboots, or an operating system on the platform is reset, boot target data may be retrieved from the fast, local memory rather than the original, slower boot target medium. Other embodiments are described and claimed.